TALLINN, Estonia: After switching to the euro on Jan. 1, the Baltic state of Estonia has found a way to dispose of its old currency: burn it to heat homes. “Estonian kroons that have been collected due to the switch to the euro are first being shredded, then pressed, and after that, used at the Iru Power Plant to heat some districts of Tallinn,” Rait Roosve, head of the Estonian central bank's cash and security department, told reporters Tuesday. “There are not really many options for what to do with notes once they are no longer valid,” he added. The kroon will remain legal tender in parallel with the euro until midnight Friday, but Estonians have been changing their cash fast. Kroon coins are meanwhile being bashed out of shape. The metal is used by the central bank either to strike euros – Estonia's are minted by neighbouring Finland -- or being sold to other countries to make their own coins.
